Case Number 20260: Small Claims Court

BRIAN WILSON: SONGWRITER 1962-1969

The Charge

And if you want to find me I'll be out in the sandbox Wondering
where the hell all the love has gone Playing my guitar and building
castles in the sun And singing "Fun Fun Fun"

-- Barenaked Ladies, "Brian Wilson"

The Case

Some people write songs. They tap out a melody on a piano, or pluck it on an
acoustic guitar, and gradually build that melody out into a verse-chorus-verse
rock song. Three chords and a hook, and you're good.

Brian Wilson didn't do that. Brian Wilson heard rock symphonies in his head;
complete works of harmonic pop perfection, and just translated them from mind to
paper to tape. There's never been a rock/pop songwriter quite like Brian Wilson,
and there arguably will never be one quite like him ever again. If anyone
deserves a two-disc, three-hour documentary devoted solely to his songwriting,
it's the eldest son of Murray and Audree Wilson of Hawthorne, Calif.

Wilson, in case you've been under a rock for the last half century, is one
of the founders of, and was originally the chief songwriter for, the Beach Boys.
Breaking out of the Southern California surf culture in 1962, the Beach Boys
quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the Top 40
charts. Their tight harmonies and intricately-crafted melodies led to hit after
hit. Odds are high that no matter which country you hail from, you know at least
one or two Beach Boys hits. They're America's version of the Beatles, more or
less.

The full story of the Beach Boys, much like the full story of the Beatles,
is filled with highs and lows, both of the emotional and drug-induced varieties,
and can't be fully told in a normal feature-length documentary. This disc
doesn't bite off more than it can chew: it takes a long look at one aspect of
the Beach Boys experience, and does a very good job at being thorough with
respect to that aspect. In this case, it's Wilson's songwriting -- his style,
technique, influences, and achievements -- during the between the group's
formation in the early '60s and the group's break with Capitol Records in 1969.
(After the Sunflower album, released in 1970, Wilson became more and more
withdrawn from both his songwriting and from society, eventually falling under
the influence of Eugene Landy, a controversial psychotherapist who...well,
that's a whole 'nother story for another time.) In doing so, it leaves a LOT of
material out -- the increasingly strained relationship between Wilson and his
brothers and cousin, Dennis Wilson's alcoholism, the always stormy relationship
between the Wilsons and their father/manager Murray, and most of the details of
Wilson's personal life. But that's just fine -- it's discussed to the extent it
affected Wilson's songwriting, and anything beyond that is left for other
documentarians to analyze.

The only flaw here is the absence of Brian Wilson himself. This is not an
"authorized" documentary, and as such, none of the Beach Boys appear
in it. The information on hand comes from friends, associates, and academics
only. Sometimes, this hearsay technique of documentary filmmaking leads to a
product of questionable veracity. That's not the case here, though -- the
sources used have a good deal of credibility, and (given the non-gossipy subject
matter), there's no reason to believe that anyone here is exaggerating or
working under some sort of agenda. But the only person who really knows Wilson's
mind is Wilson, and therefore you ultimately have to consider some of the
analysis (e.g. what Wilson was feeling at the time he wrote certain songs) as
just quality speculation, not absolute fact.

Despite what the box says, this documentary is presented in a 1.85:1
anamorphic format. It's a quality picture, but nothing to write home about. It
looks like some minor clean-up work has been done on some of the early Beach
Boys footage, but by no means would any of it be considered "restored"
-- and most of the footage consists of early TV appearances and promo films (the
precursors to music videos that were occasionally made in the '60s) that Beach
Boys fans have probably already seen many times. The Dolby stereo track is
similarly competent but unspectacular. The extra features consist of some
additional interview footage and text biographies of the people interviewed in
the feature. They're okay, but nothing special.

Brian Wilson Songwriter 1962-1969 isn't a groundbreaking documentary
or something that brings all-new Beach Boys information to light. It is,
however, a well-constructed, well-focused feature that does justice to Wilson
and his songs. Brian Wilson's music is like solid, well-built furniture -- while
the pieces may look simple on the outside, that simplicity masks a great deal of
superior craftsmanship, and the piece itself remains functional even as styles
change around it. If you're a really hard-core Beach Boys fan, (a) you already
know that, and (b) you're probably not going to find anything new here. But for
everyone else, this disc is a great way to learn why you really should care
about Brian Wilson.

The Verdict

Totally guilty of having fun prior to daddy's T-bird taking-away, and of
keeping those good vibrations happening for you.